BATON ROUGE - What was once a quiet dead-end street has become a dangerous cut-through, transforming a peaceful neighborhood into a high-traffic zone.

Mary Stewart, a resident for 28 years, explains the shift: "All these subdivisions around here connect into us so that we get traffic from all of these subdivisions, from Bellacosa, and then people cutting through."

This influx of vehicles has created hazardous conditions, with neighbors nearly being hit while simply checking their mail.

The urgency of the situation was tragically underscored by a recent incident. Stewart said a 10-year-old girl was walking her dog in the neighborhood when a passing car hit her dog. The driver got out, asked if the girl was okay, and drove off when she learned she hit the dog and not the person. 

With cars reportedly rolling through stop signs and speeding, residents have taken matters into their own hands, putting up signs that read "Dog was hit, kid is next, slow down," and "Slow down, this is a neighborhood, not a racetrack."

Saint George Chief of Police Todd Morris acknowledges the community's distress.

"I've had half a dozen or so complaints," Morris said. "I get with the sheriff's office and they have it on their list, you know, to send units when available to go and try to address the problem."

The department is also working to acquire a speeding sign to help mitigate the issue. For residents like Stewart, the message is clear and simple: "Please slow down. You know, just stop at the stop signs... that's all we ask."